Ashtray



June 22, 1937. Li A. MARIHART ASHTRAY Filed` Sept. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet l 7 w mm z i 5 E m a a .w a. .M a w June 22, 1937*'.

L. A. MARIHART 2,084,650

ASHTRAYv Filed Sept. 20, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented June 22, 1937 UNITED 'STATES PATENT OFFICE ASHTRAY kLeo A. Marihart, Mountain View, Calif.

Application September 20, 1934, Serial No. 744,828

6 Claims.

This invention relates to ash trays and constitutes an improvement upon my previous application relating to ash trays, filed July 28, 1933, Serial Number 682,696.`

One of the principal objects of the present improved structure is toprovide a sturdy and positively operating structure for moving the cigarette longitudinally of the holder through the medium of the heat from the burning end of the cigarette.

e -Another object of this invention is the production of a simple and efficient cigarette moving mechanism to be mounted in conjunction with p an .ash tray or similar device for automatically feeding a cigarette longitudinally of the holder to ycause the cigarette to completely burn and preventl the cigarette from being extinguished when placed upon the holder.

Other advantages as well as objects of this invention will appear throughout the following specification and claims.

' In the drawings:-

' Figure 1 is a top planview of the ash tray; Figure 2 is a side elevation of the ashtray; Figure 3 is-an enlarged longitudinal sectional view through the cigarette holder illustrating the feeding mechanism;

Figure 4 is a sectiontaken on line 4--4 of' Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a section taken on line 5--5 of Figure 3; f

Figure 6 is a perspective view of the sliding shoe tripping member and feeding pin carried bythe shoe; Y

Figure Gais a detail perspective view of the upper end of the feeding pin supporting arm;

Figure 'l is a top plan view of a modified design of the cigarette holder and ash tray illustrating two holders one upon either side of the tray;

Figure 8 is an enlarged longitudinaly sectional view through'the expansion cap.

Byreferring to the drawings, it will be seen that Ivdesignates the ash tray or support for n, the entire mechanism which tray may be made 45 of anyV suitable or desired design or configuration without departing from the spirit ofthe invention. Secured to the ash tray I0 is a cigarette holding casing II within which is mounted the cigarette feeding mechanism. This casing II v may be of any suitable or desired shape but it is preferably provided with a central longitudinally extending channel I2 in the bottom of which is provided an elongated longitudinally extending slot I3.

55 Within the casing IIfvis mounted the cigarette feeding mechanism. This feeding mechanism comprises a hanger or support I4 upon the outer end of which is pivotally secured a lever I5, as at I6. The lever is provided with a laterally extending weighted arm I I and upwardly extending operating fingers I8. A track arm or support I9 is supported upon the casing II and extends longitudinally thereof preferably in vertical alignment with the support or hanger I4 and slidably mounted upon this track arm I9 is a shoe 2l] having an upstanding arm 2I.

A cigarette feeding pin 22 is journaled in the upper end of the upstanding arm 2I, as shown in detail in Figure 6, and this feeding pin 22 is provided with an upwardly bent feeding spur 23. This spur 23 is adapted to extend through the slot I3 and engages a cigarette for feeding the cigarette longitudinally of the channel I2 as will be obvious. This feeding pin 22, as stated above, is journaled through the upper end of the upstanding arm 2I and is provided with a rearwardly bent finger 23h which extends across the back of the upstanding arm 2I and limits the swinging movement of the feeding pin 22.

The shoe is provided with a pair of spaced upstanding ears 20a between which ears 26a is pivotally mounted a wedge shaped tripping member 2Iw, the wedge shaped tripping member 2Ia carrying spaced laterally extending pins 2lb, which pins 2 Ib are adapted to straddle the upper ends of the operating ngers I8 of the arm I5, as shown in Figures 3 and 5. This arm I5 is of'a fork-shaped formation, as shown clearly in Figure 5, and the feeding pin 22 is adapted to rest upon the upper face of the wedge shaped tripping member 2Ia.

By carefully considering Figure 3 it will be seen that as the arm I5 is swung to the right or to the position shown in dotted lines in Figure 3, the fingers I8 will engage the forward pins 2lb causing the wedge shaped block to be tilted upon its pivot connection on the ears 28a, thereby raising the feeding pin 22 into a contacting position with the cigarette. On its return movement the arm I5 will return the wedge shaped tripping member 2Ia to its normal position since the fingers I8 will engage the rear pins 2lb and cause the upper face of the wedge shaped tripping member 2Ia, to extend in a horizontal position and allow the pin 22 to drop to a lower position and withdraw the spur 23 below the slot I3. It will be obvious that the raising and lowering of the pin 22 will be regulated by the position of the apex 2Ic of the Wedge shaped tripping member 2Ia, this apex constituting a raised portion for elevating and lowering the pin 22 depending upon the position of the wedge shaped tripping member 2Ia.

It should be understood that any type of design of tripping member may be employed of such a character to cause the raising of the pin 22 when the arm I5 is swung toward the right, and the lowering of the pin when the arm is swung toward the left and such change may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention. It should also be understood that through the medium of this structure the cigarette will be engaged by the spur 23 when the arm I5 is swung to a feeding position and that this spur 23 will be withdrawn out of engagement with the cigarette when the arm I5 is returned to its normal position thereby preventing the cigarette from pulling back into the channel I2 after it has once been fed forwardly.

Located at the inner end of the casingV II and just beyond the inner end of the channel I2 and upon either side of the channel, are expansion chambers 24 which may be of any suitable shape or design without departing from the spirit of the invention. These chambers 2l! which may be circular or ball-like, as illustrated in the drawings, are preferably supported upon the hollow tubes 25, which tubes converge toward their lower inner ends and terminate in a rearwardly projecting hollow neck 26 upon which is fitted a sliding metallic or other cap 21 which normally contacts with the base 28 carried by thelower end of the lever I5. An expanding cap or nipple 21a is secured on the neck 26, as shown in Figure 8 and is of a thimble-like formation. This nipple 27a is secured over an elastic band 2lb which elastic band lits snugly over the outer end of the neck 26. The nipple or cap 21a is mounted over the band 2lb and a second elastic band 27e is then fitted snugly over the end of the nipple or expansion cap 27a, as shown also in Figure 8. The slidable metallic cap 21 of thimble-like formation is slidably mounted over the nipple or capv 21a and slides freely over the outer band Zlc as the nipple or cap 21al is eX- panded. It should be understood that the capy 2l may be of any suitable or desired material which may be found convenient, it being necessary that the same be permitted to slide upon the neck 26 or to expand under the expansion of the material mounted within the chambers 2li and tubes 25. This structure may be similar to that as illustrated in detail in Figure 6 in my previous application above identied, and itis not desired to limit this structure to any particular detail. This cap 2l is adapted to normally rest in contact with the base 28 and the weighted arm Il is adapted to facilitate this contact. A suitable medium is placed within the expansion chambers 24 and tubes 25 and this expansion medium may be of any suitable character, e-ither of a gas, liquid, or solid nature. Any well known substance may be used for this purpose which would greatly expand under the inuence of heat.

The operation of the device is as follows:-

A cigarette having one end lighted is placed withinthe channel I2, the lighted end of theV cigarette fitting between the balls or expansion, chambers 25. As the ygas or expansion element expands, the cap 2l will be forced against the base 28 thereby swinging the lever I5 fromA the position shown in full lines to the position shown in dotted lines and move the cigarette forwardly. As, the burning end cf the cigarette ismoved beyond the expansion chamber 24, the gas or expansion element will cool and the Ylever I5 will return to its normal position wherey it will be ready for new operation when the cigarette is again placed within thechannel or when the cigarette burns back toy a point where the heat from the cigarette will aect the expansion element within the expansion chambers 24.

As shown in Figure 7, a modified type of tray is illustrated embodying a tray 3B' carrying a pair of oppositely positioned cigarette supporting casings 3l which are constructed similar to the casing II previously described and carrying a cigarette moving mechanism such as has been previously described. Any number of these operating devices may be mounted upon the tray, one being illustrated in Figure l, and two being illustrated in Figure '7. i

It should beunderstood that it is not desired to limit the claims in this case to a cigarette feeding device for the reason that the device may be used for moving .any burning element of a similar character embodying a unitary structure.

Having described the invention, what is claimed as new is:-

1. A device of the class described comprising a support, a moving element movable upon said support, an article engaging member pivotally mounted upon said moving element, the moving element having a rounded upper end, said article engaging member having an offset end, said moving element constituting an abutment for said offset end, ther offset end adapted to be engaged by said moving element for holding the article engaging element against swinging movement when the moving element is moved in one direction and the rounded upper end permitting said article engaging element to-swing when the moving element is moved in the oppo-site direction.

2. A device of the class described comprising a track bar, an article moving element, a shoe carrying said article-moving element and slidably mounted upon said track bar, an operating lever engaging theA article moving element,`heat expansion means for moving said lever, a weighted arm for returning said lever to its normal position upon the contraction of the heat expansion means, said lever comprising a pair of spaced fingers, and means engageable by said ngers carried by the article moving means for shifting the article moving means.

3. A device of the class described comprising a support, a feeding shoe slidable upon the support, an arm cooperating with the shoe, means for swinging the arm, any element feeding pin carried by the shoe and pivoted thereon, an ele- Vati-ng member carried by the shoe and mounted for swinging movement for engaging the pin, and means carried by the elevating member and engageable by the arm for swinging the elevating member and raisingrthe pin when the arm is swung in one direction and lowering the pin when' the arm is swung in the opposite direction. K

4. A device of the class described comprising a support, a feeding shoe slidableV upon the sup-- port, an arm cooperating with the shoe, means for swingingY the arm, an element feeding pin carried by the shoe and pivoted thereon, an elevating member carried by the shoe and mounted for swinging movement for engaging the pin, means carried by the elevating member and engageable by the arm for swinging the elevating member and raisingthe pin when the arm is swung in one direction and lowering the pin'when the arm is swung in the opposite direction, and said elevating member comprising an irregularly shaped body having an elevated portion adapted to be brought into and out of engagement with the pin for controlling the raising and lowering of the pin.

5. A tray for cigarettes, cigars and the like comprising a support, a lever mea-ns carried by said support, a second support, a means cooperating With the lever means for moving a cigarette, a cigar and the like adapted to be placed upon said second support, a heat sensitive means adapted to be actuated by the burning end of a. cigarette, a cigar and the like when placed upon said second support and adapted to operate said lever means, anda tripping element operable by the lever means and movable into operation when the lever means is moved in one direction and movable out of operation when the lever means is returned in an opposite direction.

6. A tray for cigarettes, cigars and the like comprising a support which is adapted to support a cigarette, a cigar and the like, a lever mechanism for moving a cigarette, a cigar and the like adapted to be placed upon said support, a tripping element operable by said lever mechanism for engaging a cigarette, a cigar and the like which is adapted to be carried by said support and adapted to move the same when the lever element is swung in one direction, said tripping element being automatically releasable when said lever is swung in the opposite direction, and means controlled by the burning end of a cigarette, a cigar and the like for operating said lever.

LEO A. MARIHART. 

